Concurrent Execution of a Smartphone Operating System and a Desktop Operating System

• US 20100211769A1
• Filed: 02/16/2010
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: American Megatrends Incorporated
• Original Assignee: American Megatrends Incorporated
• Inventors: Kalbarga, Subash, Shankar, Subramonian, Maity, Sanjoy
• Application Number:
  US12/706,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20100211769A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/441 Multiboot arrangements, i.e. selecting an operating system to be loaded
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors

Abstract

A non-smartphone computing system, such as a laptop or desktop personal computer, can be booted into either or both a smartphone operating system and a desktop operating system. The smartphone operating system may be booted first to allow use of the functionality provided by the smartphone operating system while the desktop operating system is booting. Through an appropriate user action, such as the selection of a pre-defined key, key sequence, or by use of a switch, the computing system can dynamically switch between the smartphone operating system and the desktop operating system. Files and folders can also be synchronized and/or shared between the smartphone operating system and the desktop operating system, thereby providing access to these files from each respective operating system even while the other operating system is not executing.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for concurrent execution of a smartphone operating system and a desktop operating system on a non-smartphone device, the method comprising performing computer-implemented operations for:

determining whether the non-smartphone device should be booted using only the desktop operating system, using only the smartphone operating system, or using both the smartphone operating system and the desktop operating system concurrently;

in response to determining that the non-smartphone device should be booted using only the smartphone operating system or using both the smartphone operating system and the desktop operating system concurrently, causing a virtualization layer to be executed on the non-smartphone device;

in response to determining that the non-smartphone device should be booted using only the smartphone operating system, then causing the smartphone operating system to be executed on the non-smartphone device by using the virtualization layer; and

in response to determining that the non-smartphone device should be booted using both the smartphone operating system and the desktop operating system concurrently, then causing the smartphone operating system and the desktop operating system to be executed on the non-smartphone device by using the virtualization layer.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein causing the smartphone operating system and the desktop operating system to be executed on the non-smartphone device by using the virtualization layer comprises booting the smartphone operating system using the virtualization layer completely prior to booting the desktop operating system.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein causing the smartphone operating system and the desktop operating system to be executed on the non-smartphone device by using the virtualization layer further comprises making functionality provided by the smartphone operating system available while the desktop operating system is booted.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein causing the smartphone operating system and the desktop operating system to be executed on the non-smartphone device by using the virtualization layer comprises booting the smartphone operating system and the desktop operating system concurrently using the virtualization layer.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the smartphone operating system is booted from a previously stored virtual machine image file.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining whether the non-smartphone device is being booted for the first time; and

in response to determining that the non-smartphone device is being booted for the first time, causing the non-smartphone device to boot the desktop operating system without the use of the virtualization layer and to cause a synchronization agent to be installed in the desktop operating system.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the synchronization agent is configured to synchronize files and folders accessible to the desktop operating system to a shared location accessible by the smartphone operating system.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the smartphone operating system further comprise a second synchronization agent configured to synchronize files and folders accessible to the smartphone operating system to the shared location.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the shared location is accessible to the smartphone operating system when the desktop operating system is not running and is also accessible to the desktop operating system when the smartphone operating system is not running.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising executing a power management driver in the smartphone operating system that is configured to provide power management functionality compatible with the non-smartphone device.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the smartphone operating system is configured to permit the execution of first party and third-party smartphone applications.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the virtualization layer is configured to perform selective virtualization of hardware of the non-smartphone device for the smartphone operating system.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the virtualization layer and the smartphone operating system are stored in a non-volatile memory of the non-smartphone device.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the virtualization layer is implemented in an Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) firmware of the non-smartphone device.

15. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by a non-smartphone device, cause the non-smartphone device to:

determine whether the non-smartphone device should be booted using only a desktop operating system, using only a smartphone operating system, or using both the smartphone operating system and the desktop operating system concurrently;

in response to determining that the non-smartphone device should be booted using only the smartphone operating system or using both the smartphone operating system and the desktop operating system concurrently, to cause a virtualization layer to be executed on the non-smartphone device;

in response to determining that the non-smartphone device should be booted using only the smartphone operating system, to cause the smartphone operating system to be executed on the non-smartphone device by using the virtualization layer; and

in response to determining that the non-smartphone device should be booted using both the smartphone operating system and the desktop operating system concurrently, to cause the smartphone operating system to be booted on the non-smartphone device using the virtualization layer, to cause the desktop operating system to be booted on the non-smartphone device using the virtualization layer after the smartphone operating system has been completed booted, and to make functionality provided by the smartphone operating system accessible to a user of the non-smartphone device while the desktop operating system is booting.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, having further computer-executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by the non-smartphone device, cause the non-smartphone device to:

determine whether the non-smartphone device is being booted for the first time; and

in response to determining that the non-smartphone device is being booted for the first time, to cause the non-smartphone device to boot the desktop operating system without the use of the virtualization layer and to cause a synchronization agent to be installed in the desktop operating system.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the synchronization agent is configured to synchronize files and folders accessible to the desktop operating system to a shared location accessible by the smartphone operating system, wherein the smartphone operating system further comprise a second synchronization agent configured to synchronize files and folders accessible to the smartphone operating system to the shared location, and wherein the shared location is accessible to the smartphone operating system when the desktop operating system is not executing and is also accessible to the desktop operating system when the smartphone operating system is not executing.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, having further computer-executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by the non-smartphone device, cause the non-smartphone device to execute a power management driver in the smartphone operating system that is configured to provide power management functionality compatible with the non-smartphone device.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the virtualization layer is configured to perform selective virtualization of hardware of the non-smartphone device for the smartphone operating system.

20. A non-smartphone computing device comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU);

a random access memory (RAM); and

a non-volatile memory having a smartphone operating system and a firmware executable by the CPU stored therein, the firmware comprising instructions which, when executed by the CPU, cause the CPU to determine whether the non-smartphone device should be booted using only a desktop operating system, using only a smartphone operating system, or using both the smartphone operating system and the desktop operating system concurrently, in response to determining that the non-smartphone device should be booted using only the smartphone operating system or using both the smartphone operating system and the desktop operating system concurrently, to cause a virtualization layer to be executed on the non-smartphone device, in response to determining that the non-smartphone device should be booted using only the smartphone operating system, to cause the smartphone operating system to be executed on the non-smartphone device by using the virtualization layer, and in response to determining that the non-smartphone device should be booted using both the smartphone operating system and the desktop operating system concurrently, to cause the smartphone operating system to be booted on the non-smartphone device using the virtualization layer, to cause the desktop operating system to be booted on the non-smartphone device using the virtualization layer after the smartphone operating system has been completed booted, and to make functionality provided by the smartphone operating system accessible to a user of the non-smartphone device while the desktop operating system is booting.